15 years after their Isle of Wight Radio phone-in ended, Big Al & The Doc are set to reunite for a special reunion show at Medina Theatre, reminiscing about the phone-in’s success and bringing back the show’s many characters.
Throughout the 90s and into the 00s, Big Al & The Doc – Alex Dyke and David Holmes – dominated the airwaves locally, attracting thousands of loyal lunchtime listeners. Some say it was the South’s most controversial radio phone-in… but it was so popular it ran from 1993 until 2008 – a staggering 15 years.
Listeners were hooked to the antics of the duo and their sidekicks such as Jessie and Foxy, whether it was running around Coppins Bridge interviewing motorists about ‘the Red Carpet’ or holding heated arguments down the phone. The many characters of the phone-in really made the show special, with individuals such as Lorraine Queen of Pan, Wishy Washy, Pat the Builder, Roy the Whippet man, English Pete, John from Whitely Bank, Steve the Binman and Posh Vanessa, to name just a few.
The reunion is set to be held at Medina Theatre in Newport on Saturday 11th March 2023 and will see Alex and David being interviewed, as well as bringing on stage some of the old phone-in regulars and playing some recently unearthed clips of the show.
Tickets will go on sale soon with all proceeds set to be donated to a local charity.
Oh dear. What a lot of clap trap.
I have to admit – I absolutely loved this show and was really upset at Isle of Wight radio when they got rid of Alex and the show. It always amazed me just how easily people could be wound up when, quite obviously that was the intention all along. Bring the show back to Isle of Wight Radio!